24/7 fire service at Ballantrae Station just around the corner

The town passed its fire master plan on Aug. 28

Yorkregion.com
September 5, 2018
Simon Martin

24-hour fire service at the Ballantrae Station is just around the corner.

Whitchurch-Stouffville council passed the fire master plan Aug. 28 that will see firefighters at the Ballantrae station around the clock in 2019.

Residents in the rural areas of Whitchurch-Stouffville had long been advocating for the service level increase.

“Our goal is that our residents are going to have their services improved,” Ward 3 Coun. Hugo Kroon said.

“At this point we have to look at the standard we offer,” Ward 4 Coun. Rick Upton said, adding the more service was warranted in at the Ballantrae Station.

According to the report, the town is experiencing some difficulties with its volunteer base in Ballantrae.

Due to the large homes and more senior citizens living in the Ballantrae station's coverage area, the availability of volunteers is greatly reduced.

Backup for the area comes from the Stouffville station, which is located 10 to 15 minutes away.

The large turnover in the force and decreased availability of volunteers creates staffing shortages at night in Ballantrae.

In 2016, there were 16 times where volunteers were paged but were unable to leave the Ballantrae station due to the lack of a driver or officer. A response was ultimately provided from Stouffville with a significant delay.

The town had 24 suppression officers in 2008 when the population was 32,000. In 2017, they still had a suppression staff of 24 with a population over 47,000.  The town is hiring two new firefighting staff this year.

Once four additional staff are hired, a two-person night crew could be established at the Ballantrae station.

According to the report, a two-person night crew at the station isn't ideal, but would work temporarily. Ideally, the report recommends hiring six or more staff to provide a full night shift with four firefighters per night.

Residents raised many concerns about the town potential ending its deal with Central York Fire Services to service the northwest area of the town.

The retainer is $180,000, with an additional $4,800 per call.

The plan notes that although Central York provides an added level of response, it would be appropriate to examine if the contract should be cancelled or the terms could be renegotiated.

According to the report, the contract is up for renewal and there's a proposed increase to $215,000 for the retainer.

Preston Lake resident Phyllis Gray told council she lives six kilometres closer to the Central York station in Aurora than the current Ballantrae Station. Gray said response plans should be based on most rapid response. 

Ward 1 Councillor Ken Ferdinands echoed that sentiment.

“There is an expectation that the closest fire department will be the responding fire department,” he said, noting the need to eliminate silos.

Coun. Kroon assured Gray that council wouldn’t implement something that would reduce their current level of service.